Charity providing vital immigration advice to clients in fuel poverty

Funding from British Gas Energy Trust has enabled Citizens Advice Sheffield to provide immigration advice to clients in fuel poverty who have No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF).

Joanne Abdulla, Head of Advice at Citizens Advice Sheffield, says this is a crucial step to addressing the poverty and hardship people in this client group are facing. Access to specialist immigration advice in South Yorkshire is quite limited, so this funding has a significant impact.

Joanne said: “The NRPF condition attached to most types of immigration status has increasingly resulted in hardship to some migrant families leading to an escalating amount of debt including energy debt.

“We have been able to advise clients on the impact of these conditions, advise how to remove the NRPF conditions in order to maximise income and reduce any debt. Additionally, we have provided clients with advice on how to access more appropriate immigration status if their circumstances have changed, including giving advice on further leave and indefinite leave to remain applications. This advice is a crucial step to address the poverty and hardship this client group is falling into.

“Removing the NRPF condition, which allows clients to be able to access public funds, is important to address the underlying cause of fuel debt, inequality, poverty and improve the chances of social mobility.”

So far, the charity has supported more than 37 clients through this work, with cases often being complex and lengthy.

Those supported include people like Hajira*, who was living with her British citizen partner and their young child. Hajira had NRPF and also needed to apply to extend her visa, but her partner was unaware that the NRPF condition could be lifted.

The Citizens Advice Sheffield team worked with Hajira to successfully apply for a lifting of the NRPF conditions, and saved the family a minimum of almost £4,000 which could now be used for household living expenses such as heating their home.

*name changed to protect identity